USC Football: Three USC True Freshmen Land on ESPN's Elite Freshman List

These players could make an immediate impact.

USC football is so close you can almost taste it.

The Trojans will take the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against San Jose State this Saturday. Because they will likely blow the doors off the Spartans (no offense to any Spartans fans, but the Trojans are 30-point favorites), we could get a chance to see how Head Coach Lincoln Riley is planning on using some of the talented freshman class. 

The USC 2023 recruiting class was ranked eighth by 247 Sports, and some freshmen could be ready to make an immediate impact.

A recent list from ESPN's Tom Luginbill ranked some of the top freshmen in the country, and three Trojans made the list. Here is a rundown of USC's top first-year players.

Zachariah Branch

Coming in at No. 7 on Luginbill's rankings, Branch will be a challenge for secondaries at any level. His speed makes him an elite deep threat, and the former 5-star recruit will likely see significant playing time this season.

Not only is Branch a talented receiver, scoring 11 touchdowns in his final year of high school, but his speed also could make him a viable option to return punts for the Trojans. While the Trojans have a wealth of talent at the receiver position, Branch is primed to stand out.

Duce Robinson

Ranked No. 40, Robinson is a Swiss Army Knife on the offensive side of the ball. His size — 6-foot-6, 235 pounds — makes him ideal in the middle of the field.

In 14 games during his senior season, Robinson had 1,614 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. His career-long reception was 80 yards.

Robinson, who is attempting to play professional baseball in addition to competing for the Trojans, has all the makings of a talented receiving tight end but does, as Luginbill notes, need to develop as a blocker to maximize his impact on the Trojan offense.

Tackett Curtis

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Tackett Curtis could become a significant part of the Trojan defense, which desperately needs to improve from last season.

Projected as a safety during high school, Curtis is 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, showing some room for physical growth. While he could improve in pass coverage, making the switch to linebacker could maximize his skillset: which is to "knock ball carriers into a different dimension," according to an On3 recruiting profile.